Answer
✅ Answer:
عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ یَقُولُ إِنَّ مِنَ الْکَبَائِرِ عُقُوقَ الْوَالِدَیْنِ وَ الْیَأْسَ مِنْ رَوْحِ اللَّهِ وَ الْأَمْنَ مِنْ مَکْرِ اللَّهِ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 278
Translation: Abdullah said: 'I heard Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) say: 'Indeed, among the major sins are disobedience to parents, despair of Allah's mercy, and feeling safe from Allah's plot.''
✅ In numerous narrations, despair of Allah's mercy is considered one of the major sins.
✅ The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said in his will to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): 'O my son, do not make any sinner despair...'
📚 Bihar, Vol. 77, p. 289
أَنَّ عَلِیَّ بْنَ الْحُسَیْنِ قِیلَ لَهُ إِنَّ مُحَمَّدَ بْنَ شِهَابٍ الزُّهْرِیَّ اخْتَلَطَ عَقْلُهُ فَلَیْسَ یَتَکَلَّمُ فَخَرَجَ حَتَّی دَنَا مِنْهُ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ شِهَابٍ عَرَفَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلِیُّ بْنُ الْحُسَیْنِ مَا لَکَ قَالَ وُلِّیتُ وِلَایَةً فَأَصَبْتُ دَماً قَتَلْتُ رَجُلًا فَدَخَلَنِی مَا تَرَی فَقَالَ لَهُ عَلِیُّ بْنُ الْحُسَیْنِ لَأَنَا عَلَیْکَ مِنْ یَأْسِکَ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ أَشَدُّ خَوْفاً مِنِّی عَلَیْکَ مِمَّا أَتَیْتَ
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 7, p. 296
Translation: In a hadith, it is said that Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) was told that Zuhri's mind was disturbed and he was not speaking to anyone. The Imam went out until he approached him. When Zuhri saw the Imam, he recognized him. The Imam said to him: 'What has happened to you?' He said: 'I went to a certain place and was afflicted with an issue of blood, and I killed a man, so this state that you see came upon me.' Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) said to him: 'Indeed, my fear for you because of despair of Allah's mercy is more intense than my fear for you because of the killing you committed...'
✅ Despair and hopelessness in the answer to a prayer are also condemned in narrations:
In a hadith, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, quoting Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him and our Prophet and his family):
وَ إِذَا أَبْغَضَ عَبْداً عَجَّلَ لَهُ دَعْوَتَهُ أَوْ أَلْقَی فِی قَلْبِهِ الْیَأْسَ مِنْهَا
'When a servant is disliked by Allah, He gives him what he asks for and his prayer is answered quickly, or He places despair and hopelessness in his heart (so that he stops praying).'
📚 Bihar, Vol. 76, p. 19
✅ Safwan said: 'I was present with Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) when he turned towards the Qiblah before the Takbir of the prayer and said:
اللّهُمَّ لاَ تُوءْیِسْنِی مِنْ رَوْحِکَ، وَ لاَ تُقَنِّطْنِی مِنْ رَحْمَتِکَ، وَ لاَ تُوءْمِنِّی مَکْرَکَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ لاَ یَأْمَنُ مَکْرَ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ»
'O Allah, do not make me despair of Your spirit and Your mercy, and do not make me hopeless of Your mercy, and do not make me feel secure from Your plot and punishment, for no one feels secure from Allah's plot except the losing people.'
Safwan said: 'I said: 'May I be sacrificed for you, I have not heard this prayer from anyone before you!'' The Imam said: 'Indeed, among the greatest major sins in the sight of Allah is despair of Allah's spirit and mercy, hopelessness of Allah's mercy, and feeling secure from Allah's plot.'
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 544
✅ The above prayer is one of the prayers before saying the Takbirat al-Ihram, which also indicates the gravity of the sin of despair of Allah's mercy.
Also pay attention to the following narration:
قَالَ الصَّادِقُ ارْجُ اللَّهَ رَجَاءً لَا یُجَرِّئُکَ عَلَی مَعَاصِیهِ وَ خَفِ اللَّهَ خَوْفاً لَا یُؤْیِسُکَ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ
✅ Amali al-Saduq, p. 10
Translation: Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'Hope in Allah in such a way that it does not embolden you to disobey Him, and fear Him in such a way that it does not make you hopeless and despair of Allah's mercy.'
✅ From the totality of the above narrations, it is clear that despair of Allah's mercy is one of the greatest major sins, and we should not allow this state of despair to enter us. We should also not make other sinners despair of Allah's mercy, and we should not despair in seeking our needs from Allah and should continue to pray.
✅ Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'A believer is always in a state of good and hope for mercy from Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, as long as he does not rush and does not despair and abandon prayer.' The narrator said: 'How does he rush?' He said: '(A believer's rushing is when) he says: 'I have been praying since such and such a time, but I have not yet seen an answer.'
✅ This means we should never rush and always continue to pray, even if our answer is delayed for years, because Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: 'O Muysar, pray and do not say that it is too late. Indeed, there is a status with Allah that cannot be attained except through prayer. And if a servant closes his mouth and does not ask, nothing will be given to him. So ask so that you may be given. O Muysar, indeed, no door is knocked upon frequently unless it is about to be opened for its owner.' 📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 467